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So I got quite a bit of emails from my last post Braking vs Engine-Braking before entering a corner from people wanting to know a bit more of the whys using both brakes before entering a turn is better than using engine braking or ever front braking alone. So, these are the reasons:

1 - By using BOTH brakes —smoothly and gently— before entering the turn, BOTH front and back suspensions compress and BOTH tires gain more traction —the bike settles and stabilizes from front to rear. You don't get that effect by only using either the rear or the front brake or engine braking alone.

2 - By keeping the throttle on —even a bit— you maintain a proper tension on the chain which prevents the "kick" that occurs when you come from a roll-off to a roll-on on engine braking. This also helps keeping the suspension and the stability of the bike smooth and unmolested...

I ride two different bikes with plenty of engine-braking power each (SV650 and Vstrom 1000) so for the last few years I became lazy regarding the use of my actual brakes to set my entry speed before entering a curve; I would just roll off the throttle enough to slow down and dive into the turn. (I live at the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada so I spend lots of time in my "backyard", which is full of amazing twisty roads).

Anyway, lately, I have been trying to be more conscious of the way I set my cornering entry speed and I started using both my front and rear brakes —lightly as I am not riding at track speeds on public roads— instead of just rolling off the throttle to reduce my speed before entering the curves...

A couple of days ago I got a letter from a friend of mine who works for Total Control Training and is involved in the development and management of the renewed California Motorcycle Safety Program. It seems like the program is being widely accepted and praised by instructors and students alike. Here is a transcript of his letter (published with permission):

It is now the first of March, since we started the transition to the new program here in California we have now had over 300 of the existing instructors get updated to the new program. We still have training going on including training for new instructors starting this month. (In fact in case you are still interested we will be doing one in May in Merced)...

As some of you may already know, the state of California just recently dropped the riders' training program that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation had been providing for many years and replaced it with a new program developed and managed by Lee Parks, the author and creator of the very successful Total Control book and riding clinic. The change will become effective starting January 1st, 2015.

This switch in programs has raised many questions, both from riders and instructors alike, so a few days ago I had the opportunity to discuss the subject with a friend of mine who is involved in the new program. He gladly agreed to answer some of those questions but, for privacy reasons, asked me not to divulge his name...